Unique Opportunity for UNC Charlotte Student Inventors
October 17, 2024
The Division of Research is excited to celebrate two UNC Charlotte student inventors who placed 5th out of 300 teams in the National Inventors Hall of Fame – 2024 Collegiate Inventors Competition (CIC), and received a private tour of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)! Naz Fathma Tumpa – Ph.D. and Aiden Hawkins – B.S. from the Klein College of Science visited the USPTO as CIC finalists, competing against four other graduate finalist teams from the University of Illinois, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Pittsburgh. Tumpa’s and Hawkins’ work uses photochemical detection of illicit drugs.
This year’s participation marks several “firsts” for our UNC Charlotte community, including the inaugural entry into the CIC Challenge, which is sponsored by the National Academy of Inventors. Our CIC Challenge entry was prompted by DR’s Office of Research Commercialization and Partnerships Executive Director, Laura Peter.
“Having our first student team enter the Collegiate Inventors Competition and their achievement as top five finalists, showcases what becoming an R1 ranked university is for UNC Charlotte,” shares Peter, a former Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the USPTO.
>> MORE CIC HIGHLIGHTS FOR TUMPA & HAWKINS
✓ Honored at an awards event at the USPTO
✓ Received a private tour of the National Inventors’ Hall of Fame Museum
✓ Met the current Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Deputy Director Derrick Brent
The latter two highlights were opportunities arranged by Peter who understands the significance of research innovation and its potential impact.
“This accomplishment not only validates the ingenuity of our student inventors but also emphasizes the vital role our expert faculty mentors play in helping our students transform their ideas into patentable technologies,” shares Peter. She goes on to say, “The team’s winning colorimetric sensing technology for detecting illicit drugs is a transformative innovation that exemplifies UNC Charlotte’s commitment to excellence in research driven to find bold solutions to help solve the grand challenges of our day.”
Original Article: Klein College of Science article.